Sen. Charles E. Schumer

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January 14, 2015 | Wall Street did its part to make 2014 the most expensive midterm election ever, outpacing its 2010 total and once again putting the bulk of its financial muscle behind GOP candidates and groups. Donors from the securities and investment industry, otherwise known as Wall Street, contributed a total of $184 million to candidates, parties and outside…

December 3, 2014 | President Obama is once again facing pushback on an executive branch nomination, but this time it’s coming from his own party. Obama’s nomination of Lazard‘s Antonio Weiss to become the next under secretary for domestic finance at Treasury has raised the ire of the likes of Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.). Weiss is currently the head…

November 20, 2014 | As Goldman Sachs prepares for more unwelcome publicity tomorrow at a Senate Banking Committee hearing, these things are certain: The financial giant’s many lobbyists will be working in overdrive, and the company’s million-dollar PAC will be considering writing checks to a host of lawmakers — some of them on the House or Senate Banking Committees.…

August 11, 2014 | A plagiarism scandal that drove Sen. John Walsh (D-Mont.) to drop his re-election bid Thursday was a major blow to the Democratic Party, still intent on proving it can keep its majority in the Senate. It also constituted a major financial loss for Democrats who’d placed their bets on Walsh and saw them evaporate long…

July 24, 2014 | Who says Congress can’t get anything done? The Terrorism Risk Insurance Act, first passed in the aftermath of 9/11 to relieve insurers of deep losses in connection with terrorist acts, was reauthorized easily in the Senate last week. The extremely deep pockets of industries that lobbied aggressively for the bill might have had something to…

June 5, 2014 | New York Sen. Charles E. Schumer has done his darned best to earn the title of “buzzkill“: He led the crackdown on Four Loko caffeine-laced malt beverages, declared war on the powdered liquor product Palcohol, and — this week — drove the summer boozy slushy fad called Phrosties to extinction. But meanwhile, he’s also received…

June 25, 2012 | Voters are poised to go to the polls in Rangel race while Madoff ally J. Ezra Merkin, a big contributor to both Dems and Republicans, reaches a settlement agreement with New York's attorney general. And the Washington Post again relies on CRP data for investigation of how lawmakers rearranged their portfolios during the financial crisis.

September 30, 2011 | Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney met privately with Wall Street titan Jamie Dimon earlier this week. Dimon is the chief executive officer of the world's largest public company, JPMorgan Chase, and is a prolific political donor, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. He is, in other words, a great person to have on your side in a presidential race.

September 16, 2011 | A bill (H.R. 2587) passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Thursday that aims to prevent the National Labor Relations Board from ordering companies to close or relocate employees.

July 21, 2011 | Since the 1990 election cycle, media mogul Rupert Murdoch has contributed about $750,000 to federal candidates and political committees, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. Of that sum, 80 percent -- or $600,200 -- has benefited Republicans.

March 3, 2011 | In late February, President Barack Obama announced 22 new members for his council on jobs and competitiveness, a group he established in January. The new appointees are also linked by a shared experience: donating to Democrats.

February 24, 2011 | The federal government's selection of Boeing to build the next generation of Air Force aerial refueling tankers comes after years of contentious fighting that's resulted in sky-high lobbying spending and accelerated campaign contributions to key politicians.

November 30, 2010 | The years leading up to the 2010 midterm election have been an important stretch for gay rights advocates, but you wouldn't necessarily know it by gauging the amount of money invested this cycle by gay and lesbian rights groups and their donors.

November 29, 2010 | NEW LIBERAL SUPER PAC GEARS UP FOR 2012: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend -- the daughter of slain senator and one-time presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy -- is calling on Democrats to "build an understanding of what's at stake" in 2012 by gearing up for an outside spending battle during the upcoming presidential election cycle.

October 31, 2010 | Behind the scenes, several current senators have been pumping hundreds of thousands of dollars into the campaign coffers of fellow Democratic candidates. Could these big givers be positioning themselves to man the helm of the Senate Democratic caucus if Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid falls to Republican challenger Sharron Angle?

October 29, 2010 | Many federal candidates are receiving thousands of dollars from organizations on both sides of the abortion debate. And in this landscape, abortion rights groups are far out-spending groups opposed to abortion this election cycle.

October 28, 2010 | Last week Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) sent a letter, co-signed by 14 other Democratic senators, to the Federal Election Commission, requesting that they "repair and strengthen protections against foreign influence of American elections." But how deep does their desire to strengthen protections against foreign influence go?

October 4, 2010 | Dollars spent on lobbying are set to increase over all other years if spending remains on its current course. And in context of 2010 congressional campaigns, the top lobbyist-funded House and Senate candidates have received more than $9 million to fuel their campaigns.

October 4, 2010 | Not all congressional districts are created equal when it comes to the amount of campaign contributions flowing to candidates. Sometimes, the discrepancy between an incumbent's war chest and that of a challenger is only thousands of dollars. Sometimes, it's millions. And in many congressional districts, incumbents are blowing their competition out of the water.

September 27, 2010 | Ahead of the November election, top 20 House beneficiaries of the people and political action committees associated with the finance, insurance and real estate sector have together collected more than $16.2 million from Wall Street interests since January 2009. Meanwhile, the Senate candidates and sitting senators to receive the most from Wall Street interests raked in more than $41.3 million since January 2005 -- the beginning of their six-year election cycle.

September 22, 2010 | Geriatric medicine. Woodworking. Business. Psychology. Educators may have varied academic interests. But some of the most politically active of them share one thing in common: the habit of donating huge sums of money to federal candidates, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal campaign records indicates.

September 16, 2010 | FEC NO LONGER ENFORCING ELECTION LAW?: Following an August story on the OpenSecrets Blog chronicling organizations skirting Federal Election Commission disclosure laws, the Campaign Legal Center and Democracy 21 sent a letter to the FEC begging one question: Who is enforcing FEC law if the FEC isn't?

September 14, 2010 | No fewer than 235 people that identified themselves on government documents as journalists, or as working for news organizations, have together donated more than $469,900 to federal political candidates, committees and parties during the 2010 election cycle, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates. Aboute two-thirds of this sum has benefited Democrats.

September 7, 2010 | Wall Street-related political donations are bolstering Republicans' political fortunes this summer after financial interests suddenly -- and dramatically -- shifted their contributions away from the Democrats they had largely favored last year.

July 27, 2010 | Senate Republicans today blocked legislation calling for new disclosure rules for campaign advertisements. A unified Democratic caucus generated 57 "yes" votes -- three shy of the 60 votes needed to break a Republican filibuster and allow the legislation, known as the DISCLOSE Act, to advance to an up-or-down vote.

July 21, 2010 | In June, the sole beneficiary of Goldman Sachs was House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.), to whom the PAC cut a $5,000 check on June 8, according to a Center for Responsive Politics review of campaign finance documents filed Tuesday.

July 13, 2010 | Twenty-eight members of Congress and congressional candidates have received at least $100,000 from lobbyists during the first five quarters of the 2010 election cycle, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis shows.

July 13, 2010 | George Steinbrenner, who died after suffering a heart attack Tuesday morning, owned the New York Yankees since 1973. Steinbrenner's history with politics is as long as his history with baseball. In 1974, he pled guilty to making illegal contributions to President Richard Nixon's reelection campaign two years prior -- an action for which he later received a presidential pardoned. Additionally, he, along with his wife, contributed more than $196,000 to federal candidates and committees since 1989.

June 29, 2010 | Although the clothing industry is pretty evenly divided overall, individual companies in the clothing manufacturing business tend to be notably partisan in their federal political donations, more so than almost any other industry.

June 25, 2010 | At 5:39 a.m., after 20 straight hours of work, a House-Senate conference committee tasked to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the financial reform bill cleared congressional negotiations and is now headed back to the House and Senate for final votes.

June 24, 2010 | In a 219-206 vote on the House floor today, the House voted to pass H.R. 5175, known as the DISCLOSE Act, an acronym for Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections.

June 10, 2010 | Democratic and Republican leadership in both the House and Senate have named 43 individuals to a conference committee tasked with hammering out the final version of the Congress' financial regulatory reform legislation. These members comprise just 8 percent of Congress, but they have been far more likely to benefit from Wall Street's cash.

May 24, 2010 | Senators who voted against the sweeping financial regulatory reform bill Thursday have received about 16 percent more money from the finance, insurance and real estate sector over their careers than senators who supported the measure, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis.

May 21, 2010 | The committee hearing room was crowded as the House Administration Committee met on Thursday afternoon to markup a bill that has become a top priority for congressional Democrats and the Obama administration. After three and a half hours of debate, the DISCLOSE Act was ultimately reported favorably out of the committee on a 6-3 party-line vote.

May 19, 2010 | Massive campaign war chests and establishment endorsements were not enough to be victorious in some of the country's most contested Senate primaries Tuesday night. One sitting Senator was defeated and another is heading to a run-off in three weeks, as candidates worked to distance themselves from Washington and position themselves as crusaders against special interests in charged anti-incumbent environments.

April 20, 2010 | Government allegations that financial giant Goldman Sachs defrauded investors are creating a political storm, with some lawmakers hoping that the civil lawsuit filed Friday by the Securities and Exchange Commission is just the beginning.

March 9, 2010 | The Organization for International Investment, a trade association representing U.S. subsidiaries of foreign companies, has hired a Democratic lawyer to lobby against legislation that would potentially ban its members' money from U.S. politics.

February 17, 2010 | A preliminary analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics shows that 433 sitting members of the U.S. House of Representatives raised $78 million during the fourth quarter of 2009, an increase of 5.4 percent above their third-quarter hauls.

December 24, 2009 | Senators who opposed the health insurance reform bill passed on Christmas Eve received an average of nearly 30 percent more political donations from political action committees and individual employees of health and health insurance-related groups and companies since 1989, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis has found.

November 30, 2009 | Legislation aimed at regulating the securities and investment industry is as complex as the industry itself. But the trade groups representing these interests all seem to have at least one thing in common: they fear additional government regulation will damage their business, which especially concerns them given the ailing economy.

November 19, 2009 | The various companies and trade groups within the finance and credit industry have contributed about $62.4 million to federal candidates, committees and leadership PACs since 1989, with 62 percent of that sum going to Republicans. In the 2008 election cycle, however, the employees and political action committees of these organizations directed a majority of their money to Democrats for the first time since the 1990 election.

November 18, 2009 | Risk and uncertainty are as certain as death and taxes. So, to share the burden of risk and hedge against the full financial liability, companies have long offered consumers a variety of insurance products. Facing the prospect of new regulation, the insurance industry is on pace to break a record $154 million it spent on federal lobbying efforts last year. During the first nine months of this year, insurers spent $122 million and hired 953 lobbyists.

November 17, 2009 | Mass property foreclosures and plunging property prices precipitating a veritable real estate crisis last year, compounded more recently by a glut of available credit that in turn has flash-frozen property buying. It's ugly. It's costly. And the federal government wants to ensure that the risky mortgage products that in part helped hurl the nation headlong into this mess are strictly regulated.

November 17, 2009 | Sure, our "Crossing Wall Street" series this week is going to be comprehensive, answering your questions about which financial industries are spending big bucks to influence the outcome of financial regulation legislation. But you might want to do some snooping around of your own. So we're providing the tools you need to do so.

November 16, 2009 | Congress often acts as a type of bank for bankers themselves -- a place executives can direct their cash, perhaps hoping to collect interest in the form of a legislative favor. The interest rate on that premium appears to be low these days, however, as commercial banks could face a sweeping regulatory overhaul in the coming months.

October 28, 2009 | Major League Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig would never – never! -- think of rooting for the New York Yankees over the Philadelphia Phillies during the 2009 World Series, which begins tonight at Yankees Stadium. But Selig is hardly agnostic when politics are concerned. The political action committee controlled by his office finds itself in a decidedly New York state of mind, according to a Center for Responsive Politics analysis of federal campaign finance data.

October 15, 2009 | Republican members of the House last week attempted to oust Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) from his powerful chairmanship of the House Ways & Means Committee for the duration of a House Ethics Committee investigation into alleged ethical misconduct surrounding his real estate investments and dubious personal financial disclosure reports. And although the effort failed and Rangel can sit tight for now, signs that he's sustained political damage are emerging.

September 28, 2009 | "CO2 IS GREEN" FLUSH WITH GREENBACKS: The men at the helm of two new energy advocacy groups trying to derail the climate change bill in the Senate have been consistent campaign donors throughout the years.

September 15, 2009 | In a speech to the AFL-CIO in Pittsburgh today, Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Pa.), told union members that he and a group of senators are successfully compromising with labor leaders on the industry's legislative priority, the Employee Free Choice Act. Democrats have overwhelmingly received more financial support from unions, though Specter did not mention whether the legislation's key provision would be part of the deal.

September 8, 2009 | When President Barack Obama gives his much-anticipated speech about health care Wednesday night before a joint session of Congress, he won't likely address medical malpractice reform, much to the chagrin of the country's doctors. Given that health professionals are the second largest contributor this election cycle to candidates and party committees, they might feel slighted by the president's omission.

August 26, 2009 | Embattled political financier Hassan Nemazee, who faces decades in prison after federal authorities arrested him for allegedly attempting to secure a fradulent loan from Citigroup, has donated money to 75 federal political candidates, a Center for Responsive Politics analysis indicates.

August 14, 2009 | Federal lawmakers collected about half a million dollars more from the health sector between April and June of this year than they did in the first quarter of the year -- a total of $15.3 million for 2009. This slight boost is likely the result of the increased intensity of the health care reform debate.

July 31, 2009 | Since lawmakers filed their second quarter campaign finance reports earlier this month, our researchers have been busy coding and standardizing the data by organization and industry. Here are some of our overall observations--expect more in-depth analysis next week.

July 22, 2009 | The Senate narrowly voted down an amendment this afternoon that would have permitted gun owners to carry concealed firearms across state lines into states with tighter gun regulations. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) and attached to a defense spending bill, rallied lawmakers who have received significant donations over their careers from gun-related issue organizations.

July 21, 2009 | Since Democrats swept into congressional power in the 2006 midterm elections, many industries -- including some that traditionally back Republicans -- have either begun to contribute to both parties equally or favor Democrats outright. The chief executive officer of JPMorgan Chase, however, never had to make any shift. Jamie Dimon happens to be a long-time man of the left.

July 9, 2009 | Over the past three weeks, Capital Eye has contacted members of five Capitol Hill committees responsible for drafting health care reform legislation this summer. Here are their responses (and non-responses) and the money they're collecting from various industries.

June 25, 2009 | Here's a cool tool that brings together data from various parts of OpenSecrets.org to show how much money each current lawmaker has raised from various health-related industries and the health sector overall since 1989 (including President Obama's haul).

June 22, 2009 | As the White House and Congress propose new financial regulations in the wake of the recession, the hedge fund industry is stepping up its lobbying efforts. This morning's Wall Street Journal (subscription only) cites CRP data detailing hedge funds' political spending this year--$1.6 million in the 1st Quarter of 2009 on lobbying--as pro-regulation Democrats have assumed control over both Congress and the White House.

June 17, 2009 | For some individuals, how Congress aims to reform America's health care system is literally a matter of life and death. For some industries, it could mean the difference between weathering the economic storm or shuttering their businesses. Over the next month, Capital Eye will be following the money as the various special interest groups continue to play politics in response to Congress's health reform proposals. Follow the month-long series here.

June 10, 2009 | Although the economy didn't show many signs of improvement in the first few months of 2009, Democrats were benefiting more from Wall Street than they had in any previous cycle, pulling in 58 percent of all contributions that the finance, insurance and real estate sector gave between January and March.

February 18, 2009 | As the story behind the embattled investment company Stanford Financial Group develops, we thought we'd take an even closer look at the seeds the company may have tried to plant in Washington via campaign contributions. When looking at ALL lawmakers to collect money from the company's PAC and employees (not just members of the current Congress), some additional, important names appear at the top of the recipient list.

February 17, 2009 | Money manager Robert Allen Stanford now has two things in common with embattled investment manager Bernard Madoff: both have come under scrutiny for allegedly defrauding their investors, and both have given significant funds to politicians. Between its PAC and its employees, Stanford Financial Group has given $2.4 million to federal candidates, parties and committees since 2000.

February 12, 2009 | The close ties between Rep. John Murtha and a Washington lobbying firm raided by the FBI have put the powerful Pennsylvania Democrat under greater scrutiny. The lobbyists at PMA Group have been Murtha's fifth most generous campaign donor over time, but he is just one of 284 members of the 111th Congress who have collected money from the firm, which specializes in securing federal earmarks for its clients. In total, PMA Group's employees and its political action committee have given current members of Congress $3.4 million since 1989.

December 15, 2008 | A New York Times front-pager on Sunday that examined the ties between Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Wall Street employed data from the Center for Responsive Politics. Schumer has received more money from the securities and investment industry than almost any other member of Congress since 1989-$6.2 million. (Only President-elect Barack Obama and other 2008 presidential candidates received more.) Using data from CRP and OpenSecrets.org , the Times reported Sunday that Schumer is a champion of Wall Street who has often sided with the financial industry in debates over deregulation.

September 23, 2008 | The last time Congress seriously debated how to regulate the financial industry, the result was legislation that allowed the nation's largest banks to get even larger and take risks that had been prohibited since the Great Depression. A look back at that debate, which was over the 1999 Financial Services Modernization Act, reveals that campaign contributions may have influenced the votes of politicians who, a decade later, are now grappling with the implosion of the giant banks they helped to foster.

September 17, 2008 | The Federal Reserve announced today that it's coming to the rescue of American International Group (AIG) to the tune of $85 billion. The nation's largest insurer, which asked the Fed for emergency funding in the midst of financial hardships, hasn't had trouble over the years giving money to lawmakers, however. AIG is on CRP's Heavy Hitters list that profiles the 100 all-time contributors to federal candidates and committees.

September 15, 2008 | Wall Street's grim news has plenty of people worried about their pocketbooks. Lawmakers are among them, not only concerned with how to boost the economy but with their own personal finances tied to companies that are struggling. The richest members of Congress seem to be the most invested in the companies at the center of the Wall Street shake-up.

September 12, 2008 | Uncle Sam bailed out Freddie Mac and the company's twin sister, Fannie Mae, this week, and the next in line in the Wall Street family to get a helping hand might just be Lehman Brothers. Executives at the struggling investment bank are looking to sell the company with assistance from the government--and fast--as its stock plunges. Although the government isn't expected to completely bail out Lehman Brothers, the fourth-largest U.S. investment bank, the company has built a strong financial relationship with politicians over the years and coincidentally ranks fourth in the largest contributors in the race for the White House.

September 10, 2008 | Now that the federal government has bailed out Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac from their impending financial doom, Congress has an even greater interest in seeing the giant mortgage buyers succeed-some lawmakers perhaps more than others. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, 28 lawmakers had between $598,100 and $1.7 million of their own money invested in the two companies last year.

May 8, 2008 | President Bush moved yesterday to bring the Federal Election Commission to a full quorum but did nothing to settle the underlying dispute that has left the agency disabled during a busy election cycle.

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